What is the Best Defense Against a Child Abuse Accusation?

Child abuse is a heinous crime encompassing mental, physical, and sexual abuse, neglect, and abandonment. The best defense against a baseless abuse accusation is arming yourself with a great attorney. It can be jarring and traumatic to hear such a horrible allegation about yourself. The only way to clear your name is to fight back. Using a Rockland County Criminal Defense Attorney, you will be able to contest these claims and have the opportunity to try to clear your name.

How to Respond to an Accusation of Child Abuse

Many actions can be taken to help the investigation reveal the truth.

• Cooperate: An intrusive investigation will undoubtedly take place. Cooperate fully with all reasonable
  requests from the court or authorities to show you are not hiding anything.
• Gather evidence: Talk with your lawyer about people who would testify on your behalf. More specific evidence is listed below.
• Testify: Be willing to do whatever it takes to prove your innocence. That may mean testifying under oath. Be prepared to tell the truth.

What Evidence Do I Need to Prove My Innocence?

Remember that the opposing side has the burden of proof. They accused you, but you are innocent until proven guilty. Even though you know you’re innocent, it is important to show the court that as well.

The main evidence you and your lawyer will be able to provide will be character witnesses. A character witness is a person who testifies regarding someone’s character and reputation. In order for these witnesses to sway the court they should be fairly close to you and your family. Appropriate people might include family and friends who spend a lot of time with you and your child, neighbors who may have been unknown spectators to otherwise private encounters, and teachers who spend several hours per day with your child and know them and their behavior well. They will be able to speak to both your character and your typical interactions with your child.

It is a lot harder to prove that something never happened since there is no physical evidence. However in this instance that will benefit your case. The opposing side’s lack of evidence will become one of your greatest advantages. There will be no evidence of physical abuse, like bruising or broken bones. There will be no medical records from injuries, no photos or videos of the alleged abuse, or anything concrete. Any witness testimony will be fabricated. A good attorney will hopefully be able to poke holes in the testimony. They will look for inconsistencies and holes in stories.

Focus on improving your credibility in the eyes of the court while simultaneously disparaging the credibility of your accuser and criticizing the insufficient evidence against you.